The Lorien Legacies: Morning Light
by SixthOfLorien
Summary: Prequel to Finding Six. Number Four, Sam, Sophia are determined to unlock the secrets of Lorien, but when they're torn from their lives and thrown into a war much bigger than they imagined, can the teenagers keep it together? Rated T for some language!
1. Moving

**AUTHORS NOTE:**Okay! So this is my take on the Lorien Legacy series, I'll admit that quite a few things but the plot remains the same up until about the first few chapters. There will be subtle but important changes so even if its difficult try to read through the entire story!

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><p>Chapter 1-New<p>

"I told you. I definitely told you, didn't I? I did! I told you." The girls behind me were about 30 seconds from getting hit in the face. Annoying? Yes. But correct?

I hadn't seen the new kid for myself, but from what I'd heard, he was more than worth a second glance.

My attention flew towards the sound of several different unnecessarily loud laughs. At least 20 people were standing around Sam Goode's locker, their taunting directed at the gangly, dark-haired boy covered in red paint.

"Oh, Sam…" I whispered, shoving through the crowd. Sam was paying attention to no one. His eyes were set on his hands, his fingers moving slowly, smearing red paint across the photo he held.

"Hey, UFO!"

Everyone, Sam included, turned to Mark Ceaser and his pack of hyenas. "What's wrong freak? Not the alien you were expecting?" Sam slammed his locker and stormed past us all. I followed. I shouldn't have, but I did.

"Sam..." I said quietly. He was holding the picture under the faucet, not answering. "Sam, Mark is just-"

"I don't want to talk about it."

I made my way to him and sat on the counter, ignoring the fact that I was now in the boy's bathroom.

"Who's in the picture?" I asked softly.

"My Dad. The real one," a small smile slipped across his face for a brief second. "We were at the zoo that day. I don't know… my mom threw all his other pictures away when he…"

Disappeared. Saint Louis was no small town, but word spread like wildfire at Camden High. Sam's dad was all about the paranormal. He'd spent years talking about aliens, how they'd be "coming soon" with trouble following closely behind. When the day finally came, Sam spent all day waiting for his Dad to come home. They found his truck near the Mexican border. He wasn't in it.

I grabbed a few towels and soaked them under another spout.

"Come here." I turned Sam around and started blotting at the paint on his shirt.

"How'd you know my name?" he asked.

"Why wouldn't I?" Sam shot me a look.

"You're a cheerleader."

"And you're good at fixing cars. Does that mean you don't know _my _name?"

"Sophia Tjaden." He laughed.

"Sam Goode. Now that we have names down, we should find you a new shirt."

Sam nodded, pulling a grey T out of his backpack. He cleared his throat and I raised my hands in defense, laughing. I left the bathroom, unsure about how I felt.

*Number Four*

I'm used to blending in. Good at it by now, even. That's good enough reason for Henri to let me go to school right? To leave me alone? Wrong. We're leaving. Again.

I knew Number Three was dead the second it started burning. One was killed when I was 9. Two, when I was 12. Every time one of us dies, the rest of us get a scar.

When I was 8, ten of us were sent to Earth. Ten of us were saved. Our Cepan, guardians, are built to protect us from anything and everything, mainly the Mogadorians, the ones who destroyed Lorien. Before we left, a charm was put on us so that as long as we stayed separated, we could only be killed in order. A warning sign. A chance for the rest of us to move.

I didn't panic when One died. Or Two. Or Three, even. Until I remembered that I am Number Four.

"John Smith. Really?" I shot Henri a look.

"That's an invisible person's name. Isn't that what we're shooting for?"

"…No. Not at all, actually."

"Yeah, whatever. Cool names are how you wound up on the internet last time." Henri ran his fingers through his greying hair.

"Last time shouldn't count."

"But it does. Go, you'll be late."

I'd somehow managed to convince Henri that school was a necessity, on the condition I didn't make a "spectacle" of myself again. No team sports, no clubs, no Honor Roll. Nada. It was a pain in the ass, really. Us Loric children had Natural Enhancement. We're faster. Stronger. More agile than any Olympic star wishes he could be. Sports was all mine, until people started to take notice.

Camden was just like the 14 other high schools I'd been to. Big. Loud. Tons of kids. There wasn't much to see. The football players looked at me like I was Jesus, and I'd quit trying to talking to girls the second I'd realized I'd never be around long enough to learn their names.

I sat in one of the squeaky chairs next to the office while the desk lady pulled up my schedule.

"This is unlawfully devious, I caught her RED HANDED with the spray can!"

"Mr. Stiller if you have a problem with creative expression, you should just reinstate your vote against the school's art department." A soft but snide voice answered. It was honey-sweet. For a second, I forgot where I was at and why.

"You stop with your smart mouth right now!" the man yelled. My urge to get up and slap him was so strong it almost made me uneasy. The next voice was stern, but not angry.

"Sophia. Enough is enough, alright."

"Sophia." I mumbled. I liked that name. A lot.

"Can I leave now?" she sighed. The principle nodded solemnly and she started leaving the office. The desk woman stood up.

"Alright, first class is Astronomy. Your locker is in the-oh! Sophia, dear, could you show our young man to his locker?"

Sophia sighed and turned. She hit me like a wrecking ball. Her perfect heart-shaped face. She was petite, but God damn was she curvy. Her lips were full and looked sinfully soft, her black curls tumbled over her collar bone. She was mixed, whatever with was unknown to me-but whatever made her needed to do the world a favor and make more. She was gorgeous. But what got me was those eyes. They were almost black , wide, rimmed with thick long eyelashes.

If she asked me for anything, I'd give it to her. If it was a limb, a lung, or the moon. I didn't care what, it'd be hers. Just like I was.*

*Sophia*

He was gorgeous, I'll admit it. I was more than happy to play babysitter for a few minutes. He stared at me the entire time we walked down the hall.

"So…Sophia? I mean, that's your name. It's Sophia. Yeah. Right?" he stuttered.

"Day one and you're already stalking me?" I teased.

"No! I mean no. No. Not at all."

"I'm kidding."

I lead him around the corner and slid the schedule out of his hands. "Okay. Homeroom is downstairs in the science wing, the cafeteria is to your right and two halls down, this is your locker, and your name is…?"

"John. Smith."

I felt the annoyance flash across my face.

"Okay. No name, alright." I shrugged as I walked away without another word.-

-Sam found me at lunch. Or I found him, rather, right before a football nailed him in the face. Sam flew sideways, his books sprawling all across the concrete.

"Sam!" I practically threw my bag on the ground, running to him.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." He grumbled, sitting up on his elbows.

John was jogging towards us.

"Awe, here comes Mommy!" Mark teased.

"You alright?" John whispered, picking up Sam's books.

"Yeah, fine. Don't even worry about it."

"Sam…" I mumbled.

"Really, don't worry about it." Sam snatched up the rest of his things and trudged off to his truck.

When I turned back around, John was staring at me again.

"Someone should've done something." I grumbled, trying to make it less awkward. Before I knew it, John was standing up again, his arm slung back with the football in hand. "I didn't mean you!" I argued, grabbing his arm. John shrugged me off gently.

"You worry too much." He smiled.

Andrew Harris wound up in the hospital with a cracked rib, via football. Everyone had gone dead silent the second he'd hit the ground- 1. Because Andrew was our best catcher on the football team and

2. No one knew it was humanly possible to throw a football so hard at someone that you could knock them flat on their back.

A smirk played on John's lips, his dark green eyes lighting with pride. He ran a hand through his straight blonde hair and flashed me a nervous smile.

"I don't know my own strength?" he said sheepishly.

"You're a hot mess."

"I didn't mean to-"

"Yeah, yeah."

We stood there awkwardly for a minute. I wanted him to say something but I had no idea what. What the hell was I doing anyway? It was stupid for me to pretend the new kid would want to become my best friend or something. John opened his mouth to say something, then quickly shut it and walked away.


	2. Legacies

Chapter 2-Legacies

*Four*

The next few weeks went by too quietly. It'd felt like forever and Henri was still on my ass for the football incident. I was in Astronomy, dozing off when someone tapped me on the shoulder. Mark Ceaser pulled his chair up to mine.

"Quite an arm you got there," he laughed quietly. "You ever think about joining the football team?"

"No." I said flatly. How the hell was this kid talking to me after what happened with Sam?

"Oh. Well, listen. You're new. And I don't do this often, but you seem like a nice guy right? I can help you! I mean this is my school, I'll help you figure out who to hang with and who to stay away from."

"I'm good, thanks." The more this kid aggravated me, the hotter I got. I shrugged off my jacket.

"Starting with that Sam kid, he's-"

"I'm good." I growled again.

Mark raised his hands in defense. I started sweating.

"Okay, okay. Hey, so I wanted to talk to you about Sophia. I heard some things, you know, like that you might have a thing for her."

I lost it. Heat flashed across my palms and for a second I was blinded by white light. As soon as it was there, it left. I clenched my fists, trying to keep cool while Mark chatted behind me.

"Woah, what the hell?" Another flash, then another, I could hear students voices but I couldn't make out words.

I ran. I flew past lockers, classrooms, my hands on fire-I threw myself into a closet. The flashes were lasting longer, the burning growing worse. Water. Maybe water would help? I shoved my fists into a mop bucket.

God damn it all. The water started boiling like it was in contact with a firework. It was too hot, I was too hot, I couldn't see anything…

"Breathe, Emmett." I hadn't heard my real name in years. Henri was standing over me. "Breathe."

"Henri…my hands…" They were still on fire. "Henri, I'm on fire!" I tried to move but Henri had an iron grip and it was around my wrists.

"Dammit, Emmett quit moving. Look at me. Breathe."

"What's happening to me?"

"You were each born with Legacies, yours are starting to ascend, but the more you breathe the easier it'll be to control. Like you're doing now."

As I'd stopped struggling, the fire in my hands had simmered away and the lights had faded. This was too much. Annoying. Stupid. Too. Damn. Much.

"I need to take a walk," I huffed. "What time is it?"

I left the closet, seeing that the lights had all turned off and the halls were empty.

"Nine," Henri sighed. "Be home in an hour."

Downtown Saint Louis was big. Beyond easy to go unnoticed in. I'd walked at least 20 blocks before I caught her scent. Why, I have no idea. I'd never been able to sniff out anyone, not even Henri-but this time the wind blew and I knew if I'd followed the trail of vanilla and cinnamon, I'd find her.

Resist. I begged myself. One of Henri's rules was to never get attached. By finding her, I'd be one step closer to breaking it. Stay away, Emmett. Stay away.

She was talking to the manager at the Little Gym, pulling on some sweats over her leotard. He handed her a check. She worked here. I watched her for a minute. She was just….small. For a girl, she was average at about "5'6", but I wasn't picturing her next to other girls. I was comparing her to me.

"Thanks!" she smiled, leaving. I followed her. Sophia stuck her headphones in, fiddling with her iPod. God dammit.

The car tried to brake, it really did-but there was no way it could've stopped in time. I yanked her by the elbow, pulling her towards me. The car missed by an inch.

"Shit!" she yelled. I laughed a little at her. "Where the hell did you come from?"

"Calm down, calm down," I laughed. "I was just going home when you decided to play in traffic."

"Always ready with a snarky remark," she smirked. She looked at me seriously for a second. "Thank you, though. Really."

We were close. Really close. She hadn't moved from her spot in my arms, and honestly I didn't want her to. I started dipping lower, wondering how the hell things had moved so quickly and why I was willing to let them…

Before I knew it, little kids were running and squealing between our bodies, forcing us to separate before I got a chance to kiss her. She raised her eyebrows at me.

"They're going to the carnival, you know." She said, smiling slightly.

I grinned at her and grabbed her hand, following them.


	3. Aren't Carnivals Supposed To Be Fun?

Chapter 3-Carnivals Are Deadly

There was a lot of noise. And lights.

"So, missy. Where to first?"

Sophia kept my hand as we strolled, telling me about her family and Camden. I listened, too. It might have been the only time I genuinely cared about what a girl had to say.

We stopped in front of a hay ride, and I shot her a smile.

"I'll go wherever you do." She laughed.

I pulled her onto the cart next to me.

"You're scared." I teased.

"Am not. If anything you'll need me to protect you." I shot her a look as she stuck her tongue out at me, and the cart edged into the darkness. "I heard you made quite the impression in Astronomy."

"Yeah, it…uhm…flashlight prank." I lied.

"All the lying," she murmured, seeing right through me. "Am I ever going to hear your real name?"

"John Smi-"

"John Smith? Really?" she pried. I laughed at how much she sounded like me. "Come on. You don't have to tell me WHY you have to hide it."

"Emmett." I said quietly. "Emmett Halswell. But Sophia you can't tell any-"

"Emmett." She said softly. I melted. "I like it. Lips are sealed."

"I like yours more."

"Why?" she laughed.

"It's pretty." I shrugged.

"Everybody off," the driver growled. "Good luck getting back in one piece."

I helped her off, not ready for someone to come around the corner at us. Sophia screamed and jumped into me, grabbing my hand and running at the same time.

I lead her through the strobe maze, pulling her closer every time something came up. We came out on the other side, laughing. Fog collected around our knees.

"Did you see that guy?" she laughed. She caught her breathe with a deep sigh and settled on a branch only a few feet off the ground. I slid next to her, watching my breath turn into fog.

"We still have like 20 minutes left of forest before we find our way out of here." I smiled. Sophia sighed and smiled at me before nodding.

"Guess we should get go-EMMETT!"

Both of us were flung onto our backs, the trees echoing with a loud thud. Sophia landed in the arms of a man dressed in all back, head to toe. I reached for her, but another came out of nowhere. He tackled me to the ground, pushing in on my ribs as if he was capable of cracking them.

"Emmett!" Sophia's yelling cut through the air-she was being taken from me. It sent me into a frenzy.

My attacker was under me in seconds, my fist connecting to his nose so hard it snapped. Another was pulling me by the arm. My hands started burning. _Not now, Not here. _My mind pleaded silently. But I couldn't focus. My hands flew up towards the second man, and he flew 20 feet into the air, landing in the leaves with crunching and thuds. I hadn't touched him once.

*Sophia

"Let go of me!" I screamed. The guy only dragged me along with more force than before. I could see two ridiculously bright lights traveling through the trees, heading towards another douchebag dressed in black. The light wrapped around the mans neck.

"WHERE IS SHE?" Emmett?

"Can you quit moving?"

"Andrew?" I yelled in disbelief. "ANDREW YOUNG ARE YOU KIDDING ME? PUT ME DOWN RIGHT NOW!"

Our school's best quarterback carried me down a small hill and set me on my feet where another boy was waiting for us. He took off his ski mask. "Mark?"

"Shh, Sophia hush we need to talk-"

"So you have your goons kidnap me and ruin my-"

"Sophia! Sophia, Sophia, what happened to us?"

"Mark you're a freak-stay away from me!" I yelled, turning. He grabbed my wrist.

"Sophia we're going to talk about this." Mark was torn away from me, Emmett pinning him to the ground and holding his arm at a dangerous angle. "Dude, get off! I'm sorry!"

"I hope you can throw with your left arm, captain." Emmett's voice was deadly. He started bending.

"STOP! STOP! EMMETT, STOP!" I screamed. The movement halted immediately. Emmett stood, looking dazed and filled with hatred. He grabbed my hand silently and strode through the trees.

We didn't stop until we were at his home.

"My Dad isn't home, don't worry." He muttered. I hadn't said a word the entire trip. What if I hadn't told him to stop? Would Mark be going home with a broken arm? I didn't know how strong Emmett was, but there was no doubt that it was enough to ruin a football players career.

Emmett took off his hoodie and threw it on the back of a dining room chair. I settled on the counter while he rummaged through the fridge. He tossed me a water bottle and settled between my legs.

"Let me see your face." He murmured, lifting my chin and scanning my cheeks at different angles. What was he doing? He did the same with my arms and legs, stopping when he reached a cut on my forearm. Damn. He was checking for injuries.

I gently pulled my arm out of his hands and gave a weak smile.

"I'm sorry," he sighed. "I shouldn't have lost it like that. They just…I didn't know who they were and that guy put his hands on you…"

"Hey, I'm fine. It was a little scary. For a second there I thought…I thought maybe you were really going to break his arm." I murmured.

"For a second there, so did I."


	4. Rough Night?

I can't stand math. I'm horrid at it, really. So I sat in 4th period trying to make sense of what Mr. Alonzo was saying when my mind started drifting to Emmett again. It was scary, how I could find nothing wrong with him. "6'2", tan, gorgeous eyes, beautiful body. The sight of him bending Mark's arm flashed across my mind.

A note landed on my desk. I unfolded it quietly, slipping it onto my lap.

Sophia-I'm really sorry. Come to the party tonight, bring John and your friends. Truce? I just want to apologize. –Mark.

"Come with me tonight." I demanded. I mean he had no reason to say no, did he? He sighed and leaned against my locker. "Pleaseeeee?" I pressed.

"Fine, fine," he laughed. "Whatever you want." I shot him a triumphant smile.

"Yay! We'll have fun, I promise."

"Yeah, yeah. Can Sam come?"

"Of course. That actually doesn't sound like a bad idea but….I haven't seen him all day." I murmured, drifting off.

"What's wrong?"

"Sam never misses school."

"Hey," he said softly, turning to face me. "Don't worry. I'll find him. Okay? I'll pick you up afterwards." I nodded, walking away.

*Emmett*

It was quiet in Sam's house. Really quiet. He lived near the bridge, by the docks. It was a small house, nothing ridiculously fancy but it was nice.

"Sam?" I called. The door was open when I'd gotten there. No answer. "Sam!" Everything in the house was untouched. I looked through halls, rooms, found nothing but a scent I couldn't quite put my finger on.

Muffling. I followed the quiet sounds to the basement. My Lumen came about, and I raise my hands to see where I was going.

"John!" I turned, and there was Sam, his hands chained above him, his face a mess of blood. I rushed over, crushing the iron until my friend was free.

"You're not supposed to be here, it's a trap."

"A what?"

"I know everything, alright? You're not supposed to be here."

"What are you talking about?" Sam dashed off, wiping his face. He started searching for something, rummaging through drawers and cupboards.

"Before my Dad left, he gave me this rock thing. I had no fucking idea what I was supposed to do with it but he told me to keep it safe."

"Okay?"

"Whatever it was they were looking for it. They found me, tried to get information."

"What did you tell them?"

"Nothing, I swear." He stuck his hand in a desk before pulling out the rock. It was big, greyish with an electric blue inside.

"Where's the other half?"

"There's never been another half!"

"So what do we-"

The explosion came out of nowhere. A bright red light sent both of us flying backwards, metal and tools and wood clattering to the ground.

"Mogadorians!" I yelled. There were two down the stairs in seconds, guns in hand. More light, more things blowing up. A jet of red light missed my face by inches.

My hands were on fire again, only this time it felt great. I threw my hands up and out came this burst of blue light punching a whole through the basement ceiling.

"What the fu-" Sam yanked me out of the line of fire.

"Whatever the fuck you're doing, stop." He said flatly, annoyed at his newly ruined ceiling.

I threw him off of me and threw my hands up again, shooting light at our attackers. One hit the side of a Mogadorian, knocking him backwards. I focused on his gun, pulling it forward, my body screaming at it, begging it to come before the beast got up and tried to use it again.

It flew into my hands.

"Any more surprises?" Sam called.

"Take it!" I yelled, tossing the gun to him. He fiddled with it for a moment before firing another hole through the roof. I shot him a look.

"Listen, it's my house and I can blow it up if I-" another shot of fire missed him by centimeters. Sam turned and fired a few shots, none of them anywhere near accurate. The last one nailed the Mog in the chest. We watched as he turned grey, his skin shifting into stone until he crumbled into dust, nothing of him left but his black trench coat.

"Nice shot." I muttered. I threw my entire body into the next pull, holding another attacker in his place. "Sam, go!"

Sam darted up the stairs as I kept my body towards the steps.

"Stupid boy," the beast growled. "Thinking you could come here to hide." He gave a loud laugh. "The boy was a simple trap. We meant no harm to him. But next time, you won't get here. Next time, it'll be the girl."

It hit me like a truck, what he meant. I shoved him forward, leaving his stone body to shatter as it hit the ground. Flying out the front door I nearly trampled Sam.

"WHAT? WHAT, JOHN, WHAT'S GOING ON?"

"Sophia."

*Sophia

"You came!" Mark smiled. "And you're alone?"

"I guess so." I sighed with a smile. Emmett hadn't spoken to me since the morning.

"Awe. Didn't work out?" I gave Mark a look for his boldness, making my way past him. Some party.

*Emmett

"Henri!" I screamed, bolting through our door. He came running around the corner, the alarm at our appearance obvious on his face.

"Where the hell have you been all night?"

"They're going after Sophia."

"Who's Sophia?"

"Henri, please, we have to protect her."

"You're not about to expose us for some girl."

"God dammit Henri, she isn't some girl!" I swung my arms across his table, throwing dishes and laptops and papers all over the floor. The sound they made was not satisfying. "We're going to get her."

Henri sighed at me.

"Emmett you can't throw all of this awa-"

"She's not a girl. I don't know what it is Henri. It's scary. I think of someone hurting her and I can't think straight. I see red. I get broken."

"Emmett?"

"Something's wrong." I could feel it in the middle of my chest, pulling me towards her, burning, aching, begging, beating all at once with only one explanation. "They found her."

*Sophia

Don't ever drink something you didn't pour yourself. When the kid in a black trench coat handed me a cup, I took it. 1. Because I needed something to get me out of my pissed off mood and 2. Because I wasn't thinking straight.

I stumbled my way up the stairs and through the crowd of people, grabbing onto any one and thing to keep my balance. I felt along the wall until I found a door and shut it behind me. The boy in the trench coat and smiled at me, setting down a picture he'd been looking at.

"Oh. I thought I'd have to sniff you out again. You came to me."

"Out, please." I mumbled, kicking off my shoes.

"Humans. So easily intoxicated." He sighed.

I shook my head incoherently, taking off my jacket.

"Out! I have a headache!" The sleep was sinking in, drenching my body, making it feel 8 times heavier than it actually was. The boy took a deep breathe. I blinked a few times, trying to make sense of what was happening. There was no way. No way the boy's blonde hair was vanishing. No way his nose had turned into gill-like slits, no way his perfect teeth had turned into razor-sharp daggers. Black tattoos covered his face and head.

I stumbled backwards, fighting off sleep as the monsters beady black eyes laid on me.

"Shh, sleep little one." His voice was no longer soothing but coarse and deep. I started to argue but my legs betrayed me and buckled. The monster caught me, laying me on the bed.

"No." I whined.

He went to the corner and plucked up a can of gasoline, unscrewing the cap.

"You know," he murmured, sprinkling the liquid all about the room. "None of this would be your problem if it weren't for your little boyfriend."

Boyfriend? I didn't have a boyfriend. Unless he was talking about Emmett? "I am really sorry, dear. You're quite pretty." He lit a match and dropped it onto the floor, shutting the door behind him.

The room was up in flames in seconds, and in minutes I could hear people screaming. I tried to yell. I tried to move. My body felt like it weighed 600 pounds. I strained against myself, my yelling and screaming going no louder than your average sob. I was sweating. Panicking. I head sirens, but no one came.

"Sophia's in there!" amongst the yelling I head my name. Please come save me. Please. But I knew it was false hope. Half of the house was already burned down and I was so…tired…

"John don't go in there!"

"John!"

"SOMEBODY STOP HIM!"

"He'll die in there!"

"Don't!"

"John!"

I heard something that resembled a car crash. Things hitting the floor. Crashing. Doors opening. My name.

"Sophia!" It was him. It was Emmett. But I was tired. "Oh my God, Sophia. Soph come on, look at me! So-" An explosion of heat surrounded us, like we were engulfed in flames.

The people outside were screaming. They screamed no. They screamed why. Screamed that we were too young, that we could still be saved. Then it was cold. Like stepping out of a hot shower. I COULD SMELL Emmett, buried my face in his chest even. He was with me. And moving. I wrapped my arms around his neck and tried to hide from all the noise, the crowd. The sleep was winning.

"Shh, baby. You can sleep now. You're safe."

I let my head fall back, and slept.


	5. Liar

It's hard to know the truth when everyone knows what happened except you.

"You don't remember anything?" Anna furrowed her brow, taking a bite of her apple.

"No," I muttered. "I remember heat. And I remember I couldn't move.

"Yeah, that's what John said. You were out cold when he found you."

"John? He was there!"

I knew I wasn't crazy. I'd smelled him. Heard his voice, yet when I'd asked him if he pulled me out he said he'd gotten held up at home, that he heard a fireman had found me. What a liar.

"Uhm, yeah? He flipped a total shit when he heard you were still in there."

"Really?"

"Are you kidding? He wrestled 3 grown men just to get in there. We thought you were dead for sure when the upstairs exploded, but by some miracle you guys had gotten down the steps in time. I tell ya, Sophia, the kid is either out of his mind or super sweet. He wouldn't let anyone stop him, he's a hero."

I was stuck on the "upstairs exploded" tidbit. It came back to me. The hissing, the air quickly getting warmer than it already had been. Heat flashed across my skin as I remembered his entire body wrapped around mine, fire and wood rushing past us.

"Here comes the hero now…" Anna grinned.

"Anna was just telling me about that firefighter that saved me Friday." I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Right. I forgot to factor in high school gossip. You were going to find out sooner or later."

"Why'd you lie?"

"Because I'm not a hero."

"Are you kidding? You saved my life and nearly lost your own."

"Wrong."

"John, you're the only reason I'm alive."

"You're the only reason I bother to be."

Anna shot me a look as my jaw hit the floor.

"Any boy who'd throw himself into a burning building for me could have my heart…" she said slyly, walking away.

"I want to know what happened. From you." I said pointedly, wandering through the bookshelves in the library. Emmett sighed and followed close behind me.

"Sam and I ran into some….trouble. By the time it was over with, we figured you'd already be at the part. I started to panic when I heard the sirens. When we pulled up, at first all I saw was the crowd of people. I started yelling for you, others tried to help me find you but we realized you weren't down there. When I knew you were in the house, I lost it…"

"Hey," I murmured, putting a hand on his chest. "It's okay. I trust you." He looked like someone had killed his cat.

"You've no idea what it's like to think your best friend is dead. When they said you'd gone to lay down I just ran in there. A few tried to stop me, it was a really bad idea for them. I'm lucky I didn't get in trouble for that. Anyway, I just ran in there. I didn't care about the heat, the whole house could've been burned down and I wouldn't have stopped.

'The fire was getting worse. I ran upstairs and prayed you weren't up there…but you were. The bed was just catching when I came in. It was hard to get to you, everything was on fire. You looked so small. Broken, sort of. You were crying and sweating and you just couldn't move. I was just happy you were alive, picked you up and-"

"Don't lie about this part. I remember the explosion." Emmett sighed and looked around.

"The house did explode, yes. There was a lot of fire and wood but you were okay. We were fine."

"How?"

"Look, Sophia, you have to understand that-"

"Emmett."

"You're putting me in a really tight spot." I narrowed my eyes at him and shrugged, continuing down the aisle.

"What am I supposed to think if you can't trust me?" I sighed.

"I do trust you."

"Then be honest."

Emmett sighed and boxed me in, leaning an arm against the shelf behind me. I swear I saw a literal spark in his eyes as we got closer.

"Do you trust me?" he breathed. I sighed and he raised his eyebrows at me.

"Yes." I caved.

"Good. Then believe me when I say your answers will come soon."

"Emmett!" he smiled and started walking again.

"Anyway, you didn't fall asleep until we were outside. The cops were nice enough to leave you alone and then-"

"Cops?" I asked.

"Yeah. Suspected arson."

I stopped dead in my tracks, images rushing through my mind, more voices. A chill ran down my spine as I realized that someone hadn't just saved my life that night…someone else had tried to end it. The face, the gasoline. Had I been hallucinating?

"Sophia?" He'd think I was crazy. A liar. An attention-seeker. But I had to tell someone. If it was real, that was. "Sophia, what's wrong?"

"I know who did it."

*****Emmett raised his eyebrows at me.

"I think you were hallucinating." He said flatly. It was my turn to shoot him a look.

"I wasn't seeing things!"

"Yes you were."

"…"

"Come on, Sophia. Aliens? Someone spiked your drink. You were scared."

"Yeah. I guess so. I guess you're right." Great. I should've kept my mouth shut.


	6. 16 Candles

"Happy Birthday!" Everyone jumped out of their places.

Sam nearly had a heart attack, but laughed, throwing a hand over his head.

"Christ, guys. I thought I said no party!"

"Yeah, well. Funny how know one listened to you." I teased, hugging him tightly. "How's it feel to be 16?"

"Great, now. How are you from the whole…"

"Sam, it's been two weeks. A little house fire isn't going to kill me."

"Yeah, it takes more than that to slow our girl down!" Emmett laughed, wrapping an arm around me.

I dodged a noogie and watched him walk towards some friends.

"You really should stop drooling." Sam said slyly. I swatted at him.

"I was not drooling!"

"You so were."

"Oh, kiss my ass Sam. I'll be right back."

I headed into the dining room and sifted through the drawers. No matches, no matches, no matches. Damn it. The cake would have to wait. I made a pouty face to myself and went into the living room, where Emmett was setting up the stereo system. 'Tonight' by Pitbull blared through the speakers.

People began to cluster together, moving as one. Emmett raised his eyebrows and grinned at me. Before I could protest, he'd grabbed my hand. He kept me at a distance, moving his arms awkwardly.

"Emmett." I laughed as he smiled nervously. I turned my back to him and got closer, Emmett running his hands up my sides as I swung my hips to the beat. I put my fingers in his hair and soon it was like he was trying to pull me closer, closer than we were before.

I started to feel the smoldering in my stomach, the tingling in my fingers and spine. I don't know how long we moved like that. Touching, moving-the heat was all over me and I loved it. It was abrupt, Emmett grabbed my hips and brought us to a halt. Our heavy breathing was by far my new favorite sound.

"We should, ahh…"

"Cake," I stammered. "I should get the cake."

I pushed myself away, running into the dining room again. The candle I passed flickered to life. I paused, poking at it. I shook my head and brought the candles to the kitchen.

"Oh, good! You already lit them!" Emmett pointed. I furrowed my brow and looked down. They were all lit. All 16. I handed them over without another word. "You alright?" Emmett asked.

"Yeah, just get the cake ready."

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Sammy, happy birthday to you!"

Everyone cheered as Sam blew out the candles.

"Make a wish!" I winked at him.

All had taken their cake and scattered around the house when I went back into the dining room. I leaned onto the table, focusing on the candle. I pushed, trying to find some unknown force inside my body.

Light.

Light. Please. Pretty please?

"Light," I whispered. "Light!"

Nothing. I sighed and shook my head. What the hell did I think I was doing anyway? I left the room, admittedly bummed, when a shadow flickered across the wall in front of me. Slowly I turned, stepping back into the room. Every candle on the table was lit.


	7. Surprises and Honesty

*Emmett*

"A body?"

"Yeah," Sam grinned. "My step dad got a call. Some hikers went missing in the woods. They found a body yesterday."

"If they already found a body then what's the problem?" Sophia asked, sliding into the seat next to me. Immediately I had to focus not to stare at her too long.

"They only found half. We're going." Sam said slyly. Sophia grinned.

"I'm in." She laughed.

"No you're not," I shot. "It's too risky! You don't need to see that."

"Thanks, Dad, but I'm pretty sure I've seen worse. All in favor of me going?" she raised her hand and I heard a loud thump as Sam's hand shot awkwardly into the air.

"I." he grunted. I shot him a look but Sophia grinned triumphantly.

**** I shot out of bed, my Lumen activating.

"Hello?" Rustles outside. Breeze. "Hello?"

Sam catapulted himself through my window, he and Sophia crashing into me.

"What the hell are the lights for?"

"I thought you were a predator!" I yelled in defense, Sophia rolling her eyes at me.

We stumbled through the woods, Sam leading the way. I stayed in the back of our line, keeping close behind Sophia.

"-and they've been missing for almost a week now."

"Really? That's crazy. And they have no idea what it could be?"

"Nada. Maybe we should split up."

"Not a chance." I shot . "I'm not leaving Sophia. She smiled at me, and I couldn't help but be delighted at the blush that swept across her cheeks.

*Sophia

"Oh, zip it." Sam rolled his eyes.

"You jealous?" Emmett teased.

"Can it, John."

"She knows my real name Sam, you can call me Emmett."

"Well isn't that sweet."

"You and this attitude…"

Their bickering became a faint buzz in the back of my mind. I kept my eyes on the trees, being distracted by even the slightest rustle. My feet caught log and I stumbled to my hands and knees.

I reached up to brush a few leaves away from the unnaturally large pile in front of me.

"Guys." I whispered. They didn't hear me. "Guys." As I brushed more and more leaves away, I revealed something so human it made me sick. A hand. And not just a hand, but an arm. Not just an arm, but a torso. A bloody, chewed up, bruised torso. "Guys." My voice was coming out a quiet cry. The bickering had stopped.

"Sophia." Emmett whispered. "Don't move."

I lifted my head at the slow, quiet, yet steady growling beast 10 feet away from me.

"Guys." I cried again quietly. I had lost all other vocabulary. Every part of me was frozen.

It was huge. Built like a lion. It looked as though it had black leather skin, with 3 sets of razor sharp teeth. It's eyes were bright red, it's ears laid flat against its head.

"Hellhound." Sam whispered. The tears on my cheeks felt ice cold.

It coiled to spring, and I prepared for the worst. I shut my eyes, waiting for the pain, but nothing. Instead, there was a loud crack, and the sound of steel scraping against concrete. Emmett had met the Hellhound in the air, and they were crashing to the ground, the beasts jaws snapping inches away from Emmett's neck.

"No!" I yelled. The dog turned, lunging for me. Sam hauled me off my knees and half-dragged me to the nearest tree, almost throwing me into the branches.

"Go! Go!" he yelled.

We scampered up the limbs, the dog snapping at our ankles. Sam pushed me up higher, faster. My arms were starting to hurt, my breath escaping me. Emmett grabbed the beast by its tail and flung it back several feet in the air. His hands were luminescent, bright blue and white hot. Bursts of light flew out of them like guns. The Hellhound swiped him at the small of his back, and Emmett faltered.

Our attacker was back on our case at once, clawing its way up the bark, its red eyes hungry.

"Sam, Sam!" he grabbed my hand but there was nowhere left for us to go. The hound was crawling closer and closer, until finally it sunk its teeth into the bottom of my jacket. Its paw came inches close to my face before suddenly turning to stone.

It suddenly weighed 600 pounds, and I was ripped from my branch, falling through the air.

"Sophia!" Emmett had thrown his hands in the air and I was suspended, unmoving. The stone Hellhound ripped through my jacket, crashing to the ground. I landed in Emmett's arms, the shock and awe written all over my face as Sam bitched that he was still stuck in that god-forsaken tree.

"Surprise?" Emmett smiled weakly.

*Sophia

"I have a feeling it's time for those answers." I said softly.

"Soo-"

"Soon is now. Take your shirt off." Emmett obeyed, pulling his T-shirt over his head. I felt hot instantly, I could feel my cheeks turning pink. I turned and grabbed the bowl of hot water and soaked in the washcloth. "I need to know who you are." I murmured.

I turned and examined Emmett's broad back, matted with blood and dirt. "Aw, Emmett…"

"I'm fine. Really, I am." We sat like that for a moment, me soaking blood off his skin.

"I've read about Hellhounds before. When I was little, I mean. I've read about angels, and superheroes. But I'm only going to get the truth from you."

"I'm not from here." He sighed.

"Yeah, no shit." Sam muttered. Emmett shot him a look. "I'm gonna go say hey to Henri…" he said, raising his hands in defense and leaving the room.

"Again, I'm not from here. I came from a planet. Called Lorien. We were happy, peaceful. The thing you saw at the party? You weren't hallucinating. They're called Mogadorians, they were the ones that took over our home. They come, they see, they murder. Our entire race was wiped out. Everyone died. 10 of us were saved. Sent here to be kept safe. We don't know why yet. We came with Cepan. Our guardians."

"Henri." I laughed softly.

"Yeah, " he smiled. "We argue-but….he's like my father. These," he said, lifting his right pant leg up, "are Signias. Scars, warning signs. When one of us dies, the rest of us get them. The rest of us get a chance to run and hide again. We were charmed when we left so that we could only be killed in order. One died when I was 9. Two, when I was 12. Three died a month ago. Before we moved here."

"Why do they want you?"

"I have no idea. To tie up loose ends, maybe?"

"And your hands? The strength?"

"The strength is just Enhancement. We're faster, stronger, all around more evolved. The lights….those are Legacies. We each have our own, and only we on our planet were going to have them. It's my first, so I don't know about any others."

I put my hand on his shoulder and pulled him towards me, turning him around. He was at least 7 inches taller than me, his broad shoulders made me feel microscopic.

"Show me?" I whispered. Emmett half-raised his hand and it started glowing, first white, as if he had a flashlight beneath his skin-then blue.

I held his hand in mine, running my fingers over his palm. Shadows twirled along the walls and ceiling. It was beautiful. I looked back up at him, his dark green eyes were pinned to mine. Emmett inched closer, his breathing getting heavy. His hand held my cheek and brought it closer until our lips were touching.

I pulled myself closer, wrapping my arms around his neck. There was heat everywhere, it was like I was two inches away from the sun. It rushed over every part of my body-sent flutters through my stomach. I heard a distant buzzing sound, but chose to ignore it, running my fingers through his hair instead. The buzzing got louder, but we stayed in our places, with each other. Emmett squeezed my hips, pushing me against the door.

"You guys!" We jumped as the computer caught fire and exploded. "Nice." Sam muttered, pissed.

I adjusted my clothes and started to move away, but Emmett only set me down and put an arm around my waist.

"No." he murmured at my trying to flee the scene.

"Next time you're getting hot and heavy stay away from my laptop." Sam grumbled.


	8. Fall for Me?

Emmett's face was set in deadly concentration. Henri backed away slowly, throwing another log into the fire pit.

"Good, now give me another." He ordered.

Emmett mentally separated one log from the rest, which were all floating in mid-air. Henri let it go to him, the grabbed it and threw it in with the others. "Good." While Emmett concentrated on the logs, Henri strode over to me.

"He really cares about you." He murmured, not taking his eyes away from his pupil.

"I know." I smiled slightly.

"You realize how dangerous this could-"

"Don't," I said softly. "There's always risks, no matter who you affiliate yourself with." Henri sighed but then gave a slight chuckle.

"Are you willing to help?" he smirked. I nodded, wary of his wicked grin. "Alright," he called aloud. "That's enough. Moving on to endurance." The logs hit the ground. "In the house explosion, you both should've been killed."

"Gee thanks." I sniffled.

"Without knowing, Emmett ascended his next Legacy. Endurance against the elements."

"So what should we do?"

"Reenact," Henri smiled. "Sam."

Sam set his laptop down and tossed Henri a large, black, ugly looking gun. The second it was in his hands, a shot was fired. It missed Emmett by inches.

"Woah, woah, HEY!"

"Come on, son, we learn from experience!" More shots. One grazed Emmett's left shoulder, burning him.

"Anything, Sam?"

"No sir. His adrenaline is through the roof but there's no Legacy detection."

"Dammit." Henri muttered.

He looked around the field, clearly frustrated. To Sam, who sat focused behind his laptop-and then to me. Henri smiled. He lead me by the elbow to Emmett.

"Em," he said, cocking the gun. "Why were you able to Endure during the explosion?"

"Because I had to protect her."

"Now what if I told you to protect her again?"

Emmett didn't have time to react. Henri had already fired his shot. We flew backwards, crashing through the sliding back door. I coughed a few times, trying to catch my breath. Emmett ripped the first few buttons off of my shirt, revealing the charred cuts and bruises underneath. I heard a growl, and he lunged out the door and after Henri. All I paid attention to was the ringing in my ears and the burning in my chest.

*Sam

I nearly dropped my laptop in shock. Of course Henri expected Emmett to save her, but knowing he couldn't, Emmett simply took as much of the hit as he could. The two wrestled to the ground, Emmett angrier than I'd ever seen him. I ran to Sophia.

"Oh, shit. Oh, shit. Oh, fuck. Oh, fuck. Sophia! Sophia, come on, are you okay?" I had to help but I was afraid to touch her.

"Sam!" she breathed. Fuck. She was barely keeping her lungs satisfied.

I ran back to my stuff, sifting through it-praying I could find something that would help. There was a slow, deep beeping noise coming from the computer. Finally! In the midst of this mayhem Emmett was giving off Legacy readings! Now we could…My mind trailed away as I realized that the readings weren't coming from Emmett. They were coming from Sophia. And they were strong.

I slowly made my way back to her, listening to her slow, heavy breathing. She hadn't changed positions, but her face was one of anxiety.

"Sophia…" I murmured. She let out a last heavy sigh and closed her eyes.

"No, no, no, "I panicked. "Sophia, no. Wake up, wake up right now." She laid silent, but in the depth of her chest a dull light began to glow, her blood and skin beginning to glisten. I waited silently as the light grew stronger and stronger, her skin mending itself in its warmth. As quick as it came, the light dulled, leaving nothing but blood without a source.

Her eyes fluttered open, she took a deep breath and grabbed my arm.

"Sophia?" She looked at me confusedly and skimmed her hand across her chest.

"It's gone," she breathed. "Sam, it's gone!"

"This is fantastic!" I screamed. "Emmett, Henri, you guys have to see her!"

I helped her to her feet and she took in the bits of glass around her and the fighting.

"You guys!" she screamed. The two stopped immediately, staring at her.

"What in the hell?" Henri breathed.

"There's no way," Emmett murmured, examining her. He ran a finger over her collar bone. "I saw it. We all saw it!"

"Well this is new.."

"Henri, is she?"

"I have no idea…it's…it seems impossible."

"It IS impossible! We got here only 8 years ago and she WASN'T on that ship with us."

"I know, I know….Sophia…how do you feel?" Henri asked softly.

Sophia looked slightly confused herself, and took a deep breathe. She blinked a few times.

"Well…tired. But no more than before. Confused, a little. I don't really know what happened. I don't really know if it's real."

"Oh, it's real alright." I murmured. Sophia gave a nervous chuckle.

"How?"

"I don't know," Henri said. "But I know someone that will.

****Sophia****

"Hold still," the man murmured, putting the needle in my forearm. "You're going to feel a bit woozy." I took a deep breathe, trying to keep my nerves steady.

"How did this happen?" He asked, looking at Henri while he poured a few drops of my blood under a microscope.

"Mishap with a Blaze."

"Heat-powered up to 130 degrees, black powder. A 22 set gun, Henri. Straight to the chest?"

"Yes sir."

"May I?" He began to pull away what was left of my shirt when in a flash Emmett had him by the wrist. "I'm a doctor, song."

"Did I ask you what you were?" Emmett growled.

The doctor narrowed his eyes at Emmett for a moment when a thoughtful look struck his face.

"Emmett."

"No, no, Henri, it's alright. May I try something else, with you young man?"

Emmett swept me off the chair and walked over to the couch.

"Hold her." He ordered, sitting me next to Sam. The doctor pulled out a syringe as Emmett sat down and rolled up his sleeves.

"You might feel a slight pinch."

The needle broke against Emmett's skin. Henri furrowed his brow and stood next to the two. The doctor tried again. Another ruined needle.

"How've you felt since the incident?" the doctor asked, pulling off his gloves.

"Fine, I guess. Light headed."

"Give me two seconds." The doctor exclaimed. "Sam, bring her!" Sam rushed me over, setting me with Emmett. Hot potato, hot potato…

"Daurin, what are you doing?" Henri asked irritably.  
>Daurin tried to stick another needle into Emmett and again, it snapped.<p>

"Loriens use different means of protection when they fall in love. It's much more sever. Members of the Guard had to find better ways, they were seemingly invincible but their lovers, they called them their Fall, were not. Haeson, the commander of the first generation Guard, set a charm on all the Fall." He continued to hustle about the lab, handing Henri books opened to pages filled with more stories.

"Woah, what charm are you talking about?"

"When your Fall gets hurt, she has the power to utilize your Legacy energy to heal herself."

"That's smart." Sam murmured.

"Not _exactly_." We all gave Daurin a look. "Everything has a weakness."

"I thought you just said the Guard were practically invincible?"

"They are, but remember who is not."

Daurin ran a razor blade across my upper arm. I gasped, the stinging starting to set in.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Emmett trailed off. He blinked his eyes a few times in confusion.

"Exactly, you feel it don't you?" Daurin murmured.

"Emmett, look…" Henri whispered, his eyes set on Emmett's upper left arm. A thin line of blood had appeared in the exact same place as mine.

"There's no way."

"But there is, my boy. Their women are called Fall for a reason."

"So all I do is hinder him?" I asked, annoyance seeping through my tone.

"No, little one, no. While Emmett can _feel_ your pain, he doesn't receive your injury. It's simply a warning sign."

"A warning sign." I muttered.


	9. Why Are We Friends Again?

Sam's basement was a hot spot for trouble. We all sat around him: Henri, Emmett, even Daurin had come by. I hadn't seen him for awhile, two weeks to be exact and the fact that Sam had made a point to have him here was unnerving.

"So, you all know why I've brought you here-" Sam started.

"Wrong…" I muttered.

"Oh, right. WELL, I have great news!" Sam lead us to a large black sheet. It stretched from ceiling to floor, and was at least 5 feet wide. Sam winked at Henri, then flung the sheet across the room.


	10. Caged Like The Animal You Are

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?" Henri exploded. The Mogadorian snarled behind the steel bars.

"I caught one!" Sam cheered, the smile lighting up his entire face.

"No. This is ridiculous."

"This is FANTASTIC, what are you talking about?"

"You think you can keep one of those things in your basement?"

"It's not a thing," I objected. "He probably has a family."

"Well good for him." Henri snarled. He picked up a log and slammed it against the steel, sending a ring echoing against the walls. The Mogadorian screeched and covered it's ears, falling to its knees.

"Stop! Stop!" I screamed. Henri didn't.

I wedged myself between him and the bars, throwing the log to the side. I found every bit of strength in my body and shoved Henri with such force that he flew into the stairs. The Mogadorian pulled my hair between the bars and wrapped an arm around my neck. My face grew hot, the heat traveling down my throat until the beast pulled away wailing, his skin sizzling. I rolled across the bars, dodging Henri's fist.

Emmett didn't appreciate him swinging in my direction. He heaved Henri by the jacket, tossing him clear across the room. The beast made another grab for me. I used everything I had to slam the bars, sending him crashing across the cage. Emmett grabbed the hood of my jacket and slung me behind him. The Mog stood to its feet and spat out blood, smiling. Henri huffed as it turned and faced the corner.

"That's what you get for being friendly." Henri scoffed. I threw my shoe at him.

"Henri I love you," Emmett sighed, "But if your fists go near her again, I'll rip them off."

"We need to get him to talk," Daurin said. "We have to know everything he does."

"Won't that just expose what we don't?"

"How will we get him to spill anyways?"

"Clearly asking nicely isn't gonna work."

I shot Henri a look.

"I wanna know how she was able to fend you both off anyway." Daurin murmured.

"Emmett's Fall. Isn't that the conclusion we came to?" Henri asked, looking confused.

"Still…the amount of force she exerted was…"

"Superhuman." Sam finished softly, his eyes flickering to me.

"No way," Emmett scoffed. "This is coming out of nowhere."

"Not exactly."

"What did you find?" Henri asked, narrowing his eyes. Daurin gave a mysterious smile, but before he could answer, a loud crash erupted from the other room.

"You gotta be kidding me." Emmett growled.

We all stared cock-eyed at the Mogadorian attempting to gnaw its way through the cage bars.

"Really?" I sighed, giving him an exasperated look. The beast didn't respond, but once again turned and threw himself in the corner.

"You're going to talk." Henri said firmly, flipping switches on the cage's central panel. The Mogadorian snorted.

There was several clicks and rings as a few of the steel bars separated. Henri stepped in, the metal locking behind him. The Mog turned ever so slightly to see who'd come to visit, only to widen his eyes in horror. Henri's fist connected with its jaw, blood spurting across the floor. I winced and turned away.

"Something. Give us what we need to know."

"Need is subjective."

More punches. More groans, more snaps. The interrogation had only been going on for 20 minutes and I felt sick.

"Stop," I said firmly. "We're done for today, stop." Once again, Henri did not. I shoved past Sam and slammed the panel, revving the bars to life, the steel hissing in separation.

"Stay out of this!" Henri yelled.

"YOU'RE DONE HERE."

Henri stepped towards me and I ducked under his grip, swinging my arms and palming his left shoulder. A wave of energy flew over me and I hit the ground. Henri soared through the opening in the cage, the panel sparking as his body connected to it. The steel cage sealed once more, and I rolled onto my back, the Mog towering 7 feet above me.

I waited for the pain. Or death. I didn't expect help, but I got it anyway. The Mog took my hand, and after lifting me to my feet, turned and sat back in his corner, facing the wall.

"Leave." I said warily.

"Not a chance. You ea-"

"Emmett, can it. I need time with him."

The Mog peeked at me at my choice of words, then quickly faced his corner again. I was the only one who hadn't called him _'it_'.

"Let her try." Daurin murmured, holding open the door.

They had to drag Emmett out of the room.

After the click of the closing door, there was no more sound for a good 3 minutes. I shifted from one foot to the other, wondering how long they'd be able to keep Emmett outside.

"What's your name?" I asked softly.

"I have no name here." He replied, still facing his corner.

"What was your name on Mogadore, then?"

"Alesaviour."

"What about Alex?"

"What?" he asked, turning.

"You know, Alex. For shot."

The Mogadorian stared at me cock-eyed for a second before turning back around.

"Come onnnnnn." I groaned.

"You sealed your fate the day you joined them," he snapped, eyes blazing. "I could tell you everything. Nothing I'd give could save you."

"You're wrong. You're so wrong, you have to give us something. You could stay with us. We wouldn't let them hurt you."

Alex chuckled darkly.

"You won't ever be able to protect yourselves."

"You have too much faith in your people."

"As you in yours."

"Then what do you suggest? Just give up? Run?"

"Child, there's nowhere to run."

I slid down the bars and landed in a heap on the floor.

"Sam didn't really catch you, did he?" I laughed quietly. Alex looked nervous for a moment. Before staring at me. "You wanted to get away from them. You were hoping we'd kill you."

"All I got was a map," I frowned. "Emmett broke down the door before Alex would spill anything else."

"It has a name now?" Henri rolled his eyes.

"HE has a name, and it's Alex." I shot.

"What if this is a trap?" Sam murmured.

"He wouldn't do that to us."

"You make it sound like it's your new best friend."

"HE is not, but he's a good person."

"HE tried to kill you." Sam snapped.

"WE have to go. He said it's where they take all their prisoners."

Sam's eyes shifted as he remembered his dad.

"We could find him there?" he wavered.

"If they have them, he's there."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, you guys are insane. You can't just waltz into a Mogadorian lair." Henri snorted.

"Right. Which is why we need a plan."


	11. What the Hell Were We Thinking?

We stood on the snowy rocks, staring into the valley. The cave was well-hidden, you'd have to know it's there to see it. I looked at Sam's watch. Henri wouldn't even be heading home for another few hours. We might have taken his GMC Off-Road and driven to Eureka. Maybe. That wasn't even an issue. What mattered was that me, Sam, Emmett and Eight were about to walk into a Mog deathtrap.

Daurin had found Eight 3 weeks ago, 2 days after we'd promised Henri we wouldn't come looking for the Mog cave. She was beautiful. Hispanic looking, almost. She had tan skin, brilliant emerald eyes, and pouty lips. She looked like a softer version of Emmett, only her straight, black hair fell to her shoulders. Eight was a good 4 inches taller than me, standing at about "5'9", which meant, whoopee, I was still the shortest.

"I can't believe we're about to do this." She whispered, flashing me a perfect smile. I nodded in agreement, wearing a nervous grin instead.

*Eight

They found me in Peru, running from those hideous alien things. I would've died too, if they'd been a second later. I don't have a story. Not one I'd like to share, anyway. My Cepan, Adelina, died when I was 14. That was the day my first Legacy came. Invisibility. I grinned to myself, remembering the first time I'd used it-but that's another story.

_Dammit, Marina. No more. _I thought quietly to myself. I looked to the people next to me. These were my friends. My family. Sophia-strikingly beautiful, I was at least half a foot taller than her, and was still less brave than she was. Emmett-probably the strongest out of all of us, guaranteed an Elder, and Sam-the bravest human I knew, not to mention the cutest.

These were the people I had to protect. The people I couldn't be secretive with, like I usually was.

"Listen, I can only keep us invisible if we all hold hands, or else we'll need this." I popped the lock of my Chest open and pulled out the Lesius stone. I shoved the Chest under some snow.

"What the hell is that?" Sam asked. I reminded myself he was just anxious and ignored his snappy attitude. I pressed the yellow stone to my forehead.

"Lesius. The second you touch this, you'll have my Legacy for an hour."

"You can do that?" I laughed at Sam's expression. "Man, I hate being human."

"Hey!" Sophia jabbed.

"Soph, we don't know what the hell you are."

We all gave a soft, nervous laugh, but soon everyone was quiet again. We were scared. Very scared.

"We have to do this, don't we?" she asked softly. It wasn't really a question. We'd come too far for that to be the case. We'd stolen Henri's car, driven for hours. This is what we had to do. I held out my hand, and Sam took it, Sophia taking his and Emmett hers. We were invisible within the second.

Sam's grip tightened as we entered the cave. There were tunnels. A thousand of them.

"It'll take years to find anything in this place." Sam whispered.

"Sophia, which way?"

"Up 3 and go left."

We went, and I realized why she'd decided to go this way. Down the right hallway, a loud groan followed by howls echoed off the stone walls. Hellhounds. Scurrying down more tunnels and opening doors, I was always able to hear our fearful beating hearts. We passed Mogadorian after Mogadorian, none of them ever picking up our scent. They looked…normal, almost. Laughing, sweating, working. One almost tripped into this river of green lava, even stopping and looking around to make sure no one saw.

After some time, Sam yanked on my hand. We all pressed out backs flat against the wall as a group of Mogs marched by in army attire. Combaters. I'd had my fair share of those-the ones trained to kill.

"We're running out of time!"

"We're running in circles, that's what the fuck we're doing."

"Here," Sophia cut in, rummaging through her backpack. She ripped a piece of duct tape off the wall. "If we see this again, we'll know we've been here and go the other way."

"Great."

"Leave her alone, Sam." I hissed.

"Look princess, don't start with me alright I already-ow!" I stepped on his foot hard, causing him to bump into Emmett, who bumped into Sophia. The roll of duct tape became visible as it rolled out of her hands and into the foot of a Combater.

A hush fell over us as the soldier stepped out of line, staring right in our direction. It stared through us, narrowing it's eyes as if it knew we were there. Sophia scurried us along the wall and in between a row of shelves filled with colorful glass jars.

"Guys…" Sam whispered. We hushed him. "Guys…" his voice cracked.

"What, Sam?"

"Look."

I narrowed my eyes. I wasn't seeing what I was seeing. No way. Please tell me it was a joke. A sick, Mogadorian joke. There was a hand floating in the jar. Two inches from my face. And a foot in the one next to it. Then a torso in front of Sam, and an arm for Emmett. There were hundreds of them, and we were smack in the middle.

"Sophia, don't get too close." Emmett warned. I could feel Sophia inching towards the sleeping face in front of her.

"Sophia." I wavered. Soph practically had her nose pressed up against the glass, I could feel it.

The eyes snapped open.

Several things happened at once.

Sophia screamed, jumping backwards into the shelves behind us, several jars shattering against the ground. Sam let go of my hand to catch however many he could. We were all visible in seconds. Jars shattered, shelves knocked over, Sam and Emmett barely managed to dodge a Blaze that put a crater in the wall behind us.

I grabbed Emmett's arms and flung the Lesius stone to Sam, who caught it and disappeared, Sophia along with him. We had all gone as soon as we came, but they knew we were here.


	12. Nine

Emmett and I sped down the tunnel, turning corners and not even daring to breathe when a Mogadorian passed by.

"They're looking for us." Emmett whispered.

"What?"

"They haven't sounded the alarm because they know we'll try to leave. Sophia, do you still have the map?" She didn't answer. "Sophia?"

"They must've gone the other way. It's alright, just-" Emmett's hand clamped down around my mouth as two Guards drug a young man around the corner in shackles.

"They're taking him to the cell block." Emmett whispered, starting to follow.

"Or the torture chamber…"

"Marina, scared of a little old torture chamber?" I softened at my human name and reluctantly let him lead me after the Guards.

Luckily, he'd been right. It was the cell block we were headed towards. We followed the Guards and watched as they tossed their new friend into an empty cell.

"How are we supposed to know where Sam's dad is?" I WHISPERED. Emmett dug around in his pocket. I couldn't tell what it was.

He waited for the Guard to close the corridor's iron door before letting go of my hand. He held a small cinnamon colored stone in between his knuckles. I grinned. Emmett held up his fist and a jet of red light shone across one of the doors. We could see right through it.

"Just look for someone you recognize."

We went from door to door, until finally I saw a tall mixed boy with dark shaggy hair.

"Hey-"

"Yeah, I know him too." I breathed.

"So what do we-"Before he could finished I ripped a chain from the wall and tossed it clear across the corridor and into the iron door. I grabbed Emmett's hand and as we disappeared the Guard entered. I began kicking at the familiar boy's door, the Mogadorian being drawn to the source of the sound.

"Quiet in there!" he growled. The boy threw something at the door. The Mog slid the small window open. "Is there a problem, boy?"

The boy sauntered towards the door. As he opened his mouth to speak, his eyes flickered to us. He could see us. And don't ask me how I knew, but I did, and Emmett did too. He squeezed my hand.

"Yeah. I want a TV. I have nothing to look at but you ugly mugs." I tried to hide a snicker.

"Don't test me, scum. Things will get very ugly."

"Things got ugly when you walked over here, yeah?"

I was already falling in love with his slight British accent. The Mogadorian wasn't as charmed, but we were prepared. The second he flung the door open, Emmett tackled him. I snatched his keys as he sailed over my head and into the cell wall. The new boy ripped his bed post from the wall and pinned the Mogadorian to the stone. I became visible as he turned to ash.

"You could see us." I breathed.

"I see everything," he smiled. He held his hand out. "I'm nine."

"Eight. Or Marina, whichever. This is Four."

"Emmett and Marina. I remember you two, I-"

Somewhere, a loud howl shook the cave walls. That's when the sirens started.


	13. I Always Was Good With Animals

*Sam

They swarmed us in seconds. If I was smart, I would've followed Marina, but it's hard seeing as she disappeared in seconds. Boo, no points for Sam.

"What do we do?" Sophia whispered. I could hear her getting scared, I could picture her hair frizzing in her frustration.

"Sophia, if you had to hide something where would you hide it?"

"Somewhere no one would go."

"And if you had to choose the LAST place you would EVER go in this god-forsaken cave, it would be where?"

"The Hellhound Pit."

We ran past marching Combaters, following the sound of howls.

"Sam, are you scared?" she breathed. We'd been running for a while, even for fit humans we were starting to lose our breath.

"Me? Scared? Never…ever…are you?"

She thought about this for a second. That was just the way she worked-the house could be on fire and she wouldn't admit to being scared, if she ever was, that is.

"No."

"Didn't think so." We stopped in front of the opening. It was nearly pitch black, all you could hear was teeth and howling.

"I hate you." She huffed. I rolled my eyes as she swatted at me. We went further, passing wooden door after wooden door. Two Guards threw a man into one of the rooms. He screamed seconds after.

"They're being fed…" Sophia whispered. I continued leading her down the hallway until we came to the largest door at the end.

I slowly turned the knob and slipped inside, Sophia close behind me. She let go of my hand, and I was almost disappointed. I tugged on her sleeve and pointed to the sleeping Hellhound in the corner. This was by far the biggest we'd seen since our journey began.

"Try not to wake it up." I whispered.

*Sophia

"Sam, look." At the far back end of the cave, surrounded by what looked like blue smoke were two Chests. "Let's take them. We can figure out which belongs to who later but it's better if we have them right?"

Sam nodded, and started heading for the stony stairs.

"Sam, stop!" he tripped, crashing into a pile of bones. They flew everywhere, some hitting the Hellhound right in the face. The second it saw us, we were in trouble.

"Son of a bitch." Sam groaned. It swiped at him, sending him into the stairs. He managed to roll out of the way before shattering the force field behind him. The field fell in bits and pieces like shattered glass made of fire, burning holes in Sam's clothes.

As the Hound regained its balance, it's heavy read eyes laid on me. Sirens were going off. I had no idea where the others were. We were about to be eaten alive. I could hear the heavy running boots of the Combaters on their way. The Hellhound towered above me.

"You want to get out, don't you? We do too. They can't fight both of us."

"Sophia, quit talking to the god damn dog before it eats you."

"It might eat us either way, Sam," I jabbed as the footsteps grew heavier. "We need to get out of here! And we need to do it now."

At first, I thought we were going to die. But in the Hellhound's hesitation, I did the only thing I could think of-I bowed. Slowly, I bent at the waist, looking up to speak. "Please?"

"Way to take a tip from Harry Potte-"

"CAN IT SAM."

The beast dipped it's head in response.

"Great, you gonna bow to them too and expect them to be just as happy?"

"No. But I have a plan."

*Sam

Remind me that I love Sophia Tjaden.

"Sam, get the Chests!" she ran straight at the dog, using its ear to catapult herself onto it's back. I snatched the Chests, leaping onto our allies back and slinging my arms around Sophia's waist.

"Now!" she yelled.

The Hellhound howled, dodging a Blaze. It reared its head, and Sophia's gripped tightened on my arms as it crashed through the cave wall to our right. The Hellhound howled again, sending the others into a frenzy. They clawed, howled, tackled-until some managed to break down their own doors, and others simply crashed through the wall as we did. There was a riot in the hall as the beasts attacked their masters, blood and Blaze flying across the corridors.

"Can you find them?" Sophia asked, lowering a piece of Emmett's shirt towards our Hellhounds nose. It yelped, and then we were off.


	14. Escape

"We gotta get out of here!" I yelled, holding my hands out. They were inches away when the Mogadorians exploded through the door. The blast knocked us all off our feet. Nine grabbed my arm and slung me out of the line of fire.

"There's no way in hell we can fight them all off!" he yelled. Debris fell from the ceiling. Another Blaze flew past Emmett's face. Combaters were flying down the hallway towards us.

"We can try." Emmett growled. He shoved off and charged. Nine started crawling up the wall, and then he was RUNNING across the ceiling. I watched as he dropped into the middle of the fight.

I shifted, turning invisible. Emmett had a Mog in a headlock, turning just in time so that it took a Blaze and crumbled into ash in his arms. Nine was being overtaken, swarmed, when a blast of red light sent every Mogadorian within a 4 foot radius flying. They crashed into the walls, ashes raining upon us all.

"Emmett!" I threw an unsuspecting Mog in his direction. Emmett's Lumen snapped on, burning the Mog in mid-air.

They just kept coming, set after set, as if there was a never ending supply of them. Emmett took a Blaze and toppled into me. I was visible. I scampered to my feet, trying to avoid the grip of a Combater. It got hold of me anyway, its grip growing tighter and tighter around my neck. I was almost positive I'd choke to death, until it's flesh became stone. I hit the ground in a cloud of ash.

"Sophia!"

She was standing above me, Nine's bedpost in hand. She smiled and helped me to my feet. "How'd you get here?" I breathed. Sophia winked and gave a long, high whistle. Seconds later, the biggest dog I've ever seen in my entire life crashed through the corridor, smashing every Mogadorian in its path. For a moment, the air was so filled with black clouds that I couldn't see in front of me.

All 5 of us stood in silence, taking in the fact that we were all still alive. Nine jogged over doing a double take when his eyes landed on Sophia.

"Well hello there," he cocked an eyebrow at her. Sophia narrowed her eyes at him and Emmett shot him a look. "What?" he asked innocently.

"We have to go. Now."

Sophia hopped back onto the Hellhound.

"Hold on!" The Beast braced and exploded through the chamber. We were in the snow again, charging, the cold air streaking our faces. A good 5 miles after, the trees were no longer a blur and I didn't feel sick to my stomach anymore.

We all slid off, Sophia thanking her friend for its help. The Hellhound began to shrink, down and down until it was the size of your average boxer. I sank to my knees in the snow, tears finding their way down my cheeks. We were alive. Barely, but alive. We had made it out, but I'd never been so afraid in my life. This was only a sliver of what we were up against. We didn't stand a chance.

"Sam," Sophia wavered. "Sam we gotta go, we all gotta go!" she helped him up, and I'd barely gotten to my feet when a jeep flew over Sophia's head. She screamed and scrambled back to her feet as another swung over the hill, Blazes flying past our heads. We were running faster than inhumanly possible.

"Nine!" I shouted. He threw Sophia onto his back and sped ahead, me doing the same with Sam. "Emmett, let's go!"

I threw Sam into the back of the truck and climbed into the front as Emmett tried to get into the driver's seat. "WATCH OUT!" Emmett tossed an oncoming jeep off its course, even then it only missed the truck by an inch.

We sped down the road, Sophia doing her best to deflect the oncoming Blaze.

"Emmett, give me your Lumen!" Sam handed Emmett the Lesius, who gripped it for a moment before tossing it to Sophia. Her hands snapped to life and she winced at the burning.

"I have an idea." Nine murmured. I couldn't believe my eyes. He began to seep through the seats like liquid.

"Nine!"

"NO, SOPHIA, HE DOESN'T NEED HELP HE-" Sophia grabbed Nine's arm as if to save him, and she too bled through the back of the truck. "Dammit!" I screamed.

Emmett turned sharply, and the truck screeched to a side-stand, the tires hissing against the pavement. Sam and I shoved our noses to the glass. Sophia's Lumen came on full force and the first jeep flew 20 feet into the air, ash and metal littering the surrounding sky. The second was too close, there was no way they'd have time to move. Sophia was like a deer in headlights, frozen in place. Emmett screamed behind me. Nine flipped her over his shoulder, her fearful eyes met mine and I counted the last seconds I'd see them both.

*Sam

Eight buried her face in my shirt. The jeep shattered into a million pieces as it met Nine's skin, Sophia staring dead at me as he towered behind her. The two stood perfectly still as light and metal framed their silhouettes. Nine's arms clenched Sophia tightly to him, chest to back as her curls whipped around pink cheeks. It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. Emmett threw the truck in reverse and sped towards them, Nine phasing through the back with Sophia in his arms.

"Are you alright?"

"Fine…" Sophia breathed, her panting filling the car as she and Nine stared at each other warily. He tore away from her gaze. We had a lot of explaining to do when we got home.


	15. Welcome to The Family

*Henri

They knew they were in trouble. I could see it in their dirty, sweaty, bloody faces. Emmett and Sam were the first to get it.

"Are you out of your minds?" I screamed.

"Henri, we-"

"I don't want to fucking hear it. This is a TEAM, Emmett. And you're supposed to be its leader. If ANYTHING had happened to ANY of you—"

"It wouldn't have been his fault." Sophia growled. I looked at the small one, unsure of how much she could take before she snapped in half. A boy next to her shifted uncomfortably.

"Nine," I addressed him. "It's nice to see you're alright."

"Henri." I looked to Emmett, the anger boiling in my throat again. "We're-"

"Lucky to be alive," I cut. "Very lucky. How you all ever managed to escape is beyond me, I-"

"Actually, Smalls here came charging in on a Hellhound." Nine smirked. I shot her al look, but couldn't help but be impressed.

"A Hellhound? You rode a Hellhound?" Daurin asked, clearly astonished.

"Yeah, and maybe she'll teach you when you get off our asses."

"That's not all," Sam smiled. He and Sophia lifted two Loric Chests onto the table. They stared at me in pride. "Look what we took."

"You got the Chests." Daurin smiled.

"You're damn right we did."

"And one of those is mine." Nine murmured, moving to the front of the group.

"You have some incredulous explaining to do."

*Sam

We all sat in Daurin's tiny living room, anticipation in all of us. We'd had no idea how Henri would react to the entirety of our little adventure. He stared at us all for a while, taking in our faces.

"You….you're all amazing." Daurin laughed softly. Henri smiled lightly.

"That they are." He agreed.

"So, my young friends," Daurin looked to Henri. "If any more of these adventures were to occur-"

"Which they won't."

"You'll need to train."

I practically flew out of my chair.

"Train? LIKE COMBAT? WHOPEE!" Everyone stared at me until I sat down quietly.

"For now, you can all stay in the pool house. It's more than big enough for all of you. Sam, Sophia, we've already spoken with your parent. You're away at a school trip for college, for a few weeks."

I'd almost forgotten that neither Sophia nor myself had seen our parents for a few days now. I wondered if she cared as much as I did, because if she did she hadn't shown it.

The pool house looked more like a cottage, with stone walls and hardwood floors. The kitchen was large, with a marble stand in the center and a window over the sink. The ceilings were high with wooden rafters. The living room was enormous, with ceiling high windows covering most of the wall. Beige couches and deep red carpeting sat in the center, you could see the mountains through the trees. A large flatscreen hung over the fireplace, boxed in by 3 of the couches and a matching circular coffee table.

I chose the room the furthest down right of the hallway. The walls were a dark navy blue, the two long windows paneled with chestnut. A queen sized sat in the left corner, the closet next to it. A matching desk was placed on the other side of the room. Cozy. Emmett's room was across from mine, Nine's around the corner next to Eight's with Sophia's around the corner from mine.

*Eight

We all sat in the living room-Sam cozied up on the lounger, Nine next to Sophia and Emmett next to me. Sam popped a handful of cashews in his mouth.

"Okay, so what about you? What can you do?" he asked.

"Well, there's this," I disappeared before their eyes. "And, uhm…." I looked around the room and spotted a wilting lily on the coffee table. I cupped my hands around the petals and lowered my mouth to them, blowing gently. An icy breeze trickled down my spine and into my fingertips as new life sprung into the flower. I sat back smugly. "Works on people, too." I smiled.

"Wicked." Sam whispered.

I looked pointedly at Emmett, raising an eyebrow. He sighed, snapping on his Lumen.

"Check this out," he said slyly. He snapped his fingers and a large ball of fire erupted from the tips. We all jumped backwards. Emmett twirled the flames, blowing one gently. It turned into a tiny flaming butterfly, which fluttered to Sophia, and landed on her cheek, leaving a tiny soot kiss as it extinguished. She looked down and blushed slightly as Emmett beamed.

"What about you?" I asked throwing a peanut at Nine. He cocked an eyebrow at me before sighing and raising from his seat. Nine sauntered to the wall, where he…kept walking. He walked up the stone, up and up, until he KEPT going, across the ceiling as if physics didn't exist. He dropped to the floor and smiled.

"Anti-gravity," he smirked. "Tell me next time you wanna be swept off your feet." He winked at Sophia who threw a pillow at him. It went right through his body.

"So you're virtually indestructible AND you can phase through things?" she cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Depends on what mood I'm in. Hot, huh?"

"Look at that, the power to be incredibly annoying at the same time."

"What about the light thing?" I piped up. Nine's face fell and he began to shake his head.

"No. I can't." he laughed nervously.

"Come on!" "Let's see it!" Suck it up and show us!" we jeered. Nine sighed and headed out into the back yard, us trailing behind. We poked our heads out of the door.

"You might want to back up." He warned. No one moved. "Whatever." He sighed. Nine began shifting his shoulders, rings of red light swinging around his torso, like they were rings and he was Saturn. He threw his arms out and the rings flew off of his body and into the Cedar tree 20 feet away from him, slicing it in half.

Our jaws all hit the floor at the same time. We sat back in our seats, Nine looked to Sam who shook his head sadly. "No powers here. All human."

"Not true. Sam's IQ is well north of 150." Sophia argued. Sam smiled greatfully.

"Well, what about you?" Nine asked. Sophia tried to answer, looking to us for help.

"Well…we don't exactly know," I said softly. "We're not quite sure what she is. Or what she can do." Nine raised his eyebrows at her. Sophia wrinkles her nose before sitting on the edge of the couch. She stared at the candle in front of her. Nothing.

"Sophia?" Sam asked softly. She stared harder. Sparks began to flicker around the candle's wick. The room started growing uncomfortably warm. Sophia's hair started…was it…crackling? Sam narrowed his eyes at her while the sparks grew larger.

"Sophia…" Emmett warned.

"It worked last time…"she murmured, her hair still crackling. Sophia's skin started to shimmer, and then crackle as bits of electric current flashed against her palms. In a second of panic, a jet of lightening shot from Sophia's hand. The candle exploded, the table cracked, we all jumped a good 20 feet out of seats.

"Remind me never to piss you off…" Nine murmured.


	16. YOU HAD YOUR EYES CLOSED?

*Sophia

"Okay, let's try something else." Daurin choked. His eyes darted about the scattered/ destroyed candles throughout the room. He sat next to me as I threw myself onto the couch. "Your powers are triggered by your emotions, ranging from fire to full on electricity while the others are quite physical with their control. If we can harness that, you'll be more than a force to be reckoned with."

*Nine

"You really think this thing will work?" I grumbled, looking around the long metal tunnel. Henri pulled the mannequins into a row, 30 feet away.

"My father had this place built to withstand nuclear war. It's perfect for you." Daurin chuckled.

"Yeah whatever. You might wanna close the door.:

They left me alone. I took a deep breath and started to pull, feeling the heat start to build in my chest. It finally exploded out of my skin, I used my hands and threw them in front of me. Everything that could've caught fire, did. Even some of the Titanium was denting from the heat

"Oh dear…" Daurin murmured as Henri scampered about with the extinguisher.

"Never said I could aim…" I grumbled.

*Emmett

I glanced outside at Sam and Eight. Henri had been teaching them hand to hand combat, and Sam had progressed amazingly. I watched as he wrestled Eight into a headlock.

"Focus." Daurin warned. My attention snapped back to the sofa I'd been levitating. The longer I'd practiced, the heavier I was able to lift. "Now, go!" he tossed several lamps in my direction. I smashed all in mid-air. "The couch!" he yelled, tossing the toaster.

"NO! NOT THE TOASTER!" I cried, dropping the couch. The toaster flew into my chest, knocking me off my feet.

"Focus." Daurin smiled.

*Sophia

I dodged Eight's left fist and caught her elbow, tossing her to the ground. She swept me off my feet-and ass I hit the ground, disappeared completely.

"Damn." I muttered. She gave me a swift uppercut, and I could feel the tickle across my skin as I grew frustrated. I felt a breeze to my left and barely dodged another punch, the tickle becoming a hum now. Looking down at my palms, I saw the static hissing about, as if I was one of those electric glass lamps with all the lightening inside. Eight slapped me across the back of the head, but as she did I heard a crack, and she became visible for a moment. I grinned to myself and rubbed my palms together, my current crackling over them in anticipation. I slammed my hands to the ground, sending my current sprawling throughout the area.

It was like I could see _everything ._The trees, every movement of every animal within a 10 foot radius. I could see Daurin and the boys standing behind me; best of all, I could see Eight. I could see a perfect outline in a silver silhouette, and in seconds I had her in a headlock.

*Nine

"No! I don't wanna!" Sam bitched, standing in between the two mannequins. I'd almost taken his head off twice, it wasn't fair for him to take that personally. I mean it'd only taken me 3 days to figure out how to throw in ONE direction, at least now the others could watch from the sidelines.

We tried again. Sam stared at the huge charred space in the floor that would've been him if he hadn't jumped out of the way. His rant began.

"Sam's right, Henri. Maybe we should give it a rest," I sighed, turning towards the door. "We've tried everything.

"No we haven't." We all looked at the Small One, staring at us with those big brown eyes.

"No. Absolutely not." Emmett barked. Sophia shrugged him off gently, moving to Sam's spot in between the dolls. Half the room was already on fire from our last 3 attempts. She didn't look nervous at all.

"I trust you." She said softly, well aware that I had the best hearing out of all of us and no one else had heard. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared. Sam? Fine. We can find another geek somewhere in the library. Eight? I'd get over it. Sophia? What the hell was I thinking? She gave me a weak smile as I sighed.

*Sophia

I stared at him. He was already struggling, sweat lining his face. Emmett was gonna kill us both. He looked furious. Nine took a deep breath and the light started to seep through his chest. He shifted his shoulder and threw.

I braced myself. For pain, for death, for the heat. Nada. I was curious as to how it would feel. I heard explosions. There was heat-my eardrums popped. Was I dead? I opened my eyes. I wasn't dead. I was alive. HEE HAWW, I WAS ALIVE!

"I'm alive!" I cried, throwing my hands in the air and nearly knocking over the charred mannequins at my sides. Nine opened one eye, then beamed. My face fell. "YOUR EYES WERE CLOSED?"

"I WAS SCARED!"

"YOU COULD'VE KILLED ME LIKE THAT!"

"I COULDA KILLED YOU EITHER WAY!" He picked me off the floor and kissed my cheek. "Thank you." He breathed. I smiled at him, blushing at our position.


	17. Family

We settled, then. We trained, we laughed, we homeschooled. We'd become our own family, as misfitted as we all were, we'd found a home.

"They caught me when I was 14," Nine said one night as we all curled up in the living room. "I was lucky you all came to the cave. Any later and they probably would've figured out the charm was broken. They caught me and Daniel one night in Brazil," his face fell for a minute and I scooched closer, trying to comfort him. He gave a weak smile. "I woke up from the noise outside. There was a lot of rustling, Daniel told me not to move. He went outside, and there was more noise. Lots of it. I ran out, nothing. He was nowhere.

"They just took him?" I asked softly.

"And me. We woke up in an interrogation room. Chained up, they couldn't touch me for obvious reasons but Daniel had it bad. They beat the hell out of him," Nine chuckled darkly. "He never told them a thing. Me either. That was our thing. You were allowed to laugh, allowed to be vicious and if you ever let them see you cry you might as well slit your own throat. One day they told me if I didn't talk they'd kill him."

"Did you?" Nine bit his lip and looked away.

"No. They would've killed him either way. And they did. Right in front of me, like I wasn't even there. He turned into ashes and I could feel it coming. The heat. The anger. I was raging. Fuming. That's when I got my first Legacy." He gave me an evil smirk.

"What happened?"

"I killed them. Over a quarter. Just killed and killed until I couldn't feel anything anymore. And then I let them take me. Disgusting, right? They were ashes, nothing to me. I walked on them barefoot, ripped them a part. I could have left if I wanted."

I slid my hand into his. Nine looked at me, then to the rest of us in a rare moment of vulnerability.

"What I do….it's dangerous."

"We all are." Emmett interjected. Nine shook his head.

"It's different. I can't stop it once it starts, and I could hurt someone. I _will_ hurt someone, I know it."

"You won't." Sam smiled lightly.

"Everything I do is-"

"Driven by emotion. Like Sophia." Eight said softly. Nine looked at our hands and nodded.

"We're a family Damon." I murmured. Everyone looked at me in shock. I fished the dog tags I'd grabbed from his cell out of my pocket. Nine smiled softly. "You're one of us. I can't promise you that your problems are going to go away because they won't. What we're doing is huge. What you're doing. But you don't ever have to do it alone."


	18. Like a Bull In A China Shop

"We're going to Aledo." Henri smiled.

"What the hell is an Aledo?"

"Your insignias appeared on the internet the other day on a water tower." Daurin explained, ignoring Sam's stupid question.

"What happens if it's a trap?" Eight asked softly. Most of us had already become accustomed to her soft-spoken nature, and she had this tendency to be forgotten almost. No wonder her Legacy was invisibility. "We're more than ready."

"And what if it isn't a trap?" I countered.

"Chill, Smalls. I wanted to be the impulsive one in the family." Nine laughed, pushing me playfully. Emmett rolled his eyes. Guilt washed over me. I'd been ignoring his affections lately, unsure of what to do with my own. And Nine…he was just so annoying! Always around, always staring at me with those eyes. Did I like him? I thought I was Emmett's Fall, wouldn't that be breaking all the rules? WERE there any rules? The thoughts bounced around my head.

So it was decided that we would go to Aledo. 2 hours. We spend TWO hours on the road. Emmett, Eight and I were far better off than Henri, Nine, and Daurin however, who had been forced to ride with same and listen to him spend the entire ride singing along with his Mama Mia CD on repeat.

We pulled into Maria's gravel driveway. It was a good 10 minutes from the town, hidden amongst the trees. It was a dark green, with cherry wood trim and tan wooden floors. Every room was the same. Every. Room. Brown with light blue accents.

Maria Courdeua was a short, stout woman. When I say short, I mean she made me look like a supermodel. She had short blonde hair laid in large curls around her head and violet eyes. Her pale skin had soft wrinkles etched along it, her chained glasses perched upon her button of a nose. She blushed as Daurin entered the small sitting room.

"It's been awhile!" She laughed, embracing him.

"A few months too long." He smiled. Maria hustled out of the room and was back in seconds, a small girl trailing behind her.

"I'd like you all to meet someone. Ella?" The small gave us all a slight nod. "Ella, dear, meet the Guard and their friends. Everyone, Ella is number Ten. The last Elder on Lorien sacrificed his powers to her the last day of the attack. She's able to shift between any age that she's lived through."

"Immortal." Henri whispered. We went around the room.

"Nine."

"Sam."

"Eight, so pleased to meet you."

"Henri."

"I'm Emmett."

"Daurin, a pleasure."

"Six." The girl piped up before I could say my name.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"You're Number Six." Everyone stared back and forth between Ella and I. Her eyes locked with mine and she gave Maria a look. Daurin stepped in front of me.

"We need to talk." He said firmly.

We all stood around awkwardly. The 2 adults had been upstairs for half an hour, and Daurin didn't sound like he had anything pleasant to talk about. We exchanged knowing looks. Ella, had been staring at me the entire time. Finally I caved and looked back at her.

"I want to show you something." She said softly. She fished around in her Chest and pulled out a small purple leather bag. Ella opened the back and threw its contents into the air.

The entire room went dark as the glass orbs floated in mid-air. Some were as small as a marble, others big enough to fit in both hands. They began to shift, each turning a different color, some with rings, some orbiting around others.

"It's the Loric Solar System." Sam whispered. Ella nodded, smiling slightly.

"You see ever planet in its current physical state." She explained. I stared at the sad, grey ball floating in front of me. "That's Lorien," she said sadly. "But that," she said pointing to the faint purple, pulsating light in its center, "Is its heart beat."

"It's still alive?" I asked.

"Of course it is!" she smiled, snapping on her Lumen. As her light washed over the orb, lush green and blue flooded the inside, bursting with life. "It just needs a little help."

I smiled at her and cupped my hands, letting the orb float gently into them. The second the glass touched my skin started to crack. The slits in the glass started spreading, glowing black and white, cracking and simmering. Stars fell to the floor like bits of ember from a fire.

There was a riot of glass and heat and ember. Henri threw the door open. I looked around frantically, trying to piece together what was happening. Our entire solar system was turning to ash. As quickly as the panic ensued, it was over. There was no sound in the room except for our heavy breathing. Eight started to cry.

"What the hell was that?" I screamed to Henri. He looked at Daurin.

"We don't have much time." Maria whispered.

"What are you talking about?" Sam demanded, holding Eight. I needed so desperately for someone to do the same to me. Nine enveloped me in his arms like a mind-reader.

"We must contain her. Teach her properly." Maria said briskly, bustling about the room.

"Like an animal." I muttered darkly.

"Not an animal," Maria laughed humorlessly. "Your kind are held in higher respects than even the Guard sometimes."

"So you know what she is?" Sam asked, rubbing Eight's arms.

"Yes," Maria answered, yielding her movement. "Yes I do. Let's just pray the Mogadorians don't.


	19. Highly Flammable

It took us all to convince the 3 adults that I was strong enough to handle what they had to say.

"Fine, Fine!" Daurin caved, pacing about the room. He looked fearful. More frustrated than any of us had ever seen him. "Sophia has the Phoenix." We all waited for him to explain, but he simply stared at us.

"So what the hell does that mean?" Nine barked.

"The Phoenix was an entity. A power long before Lorien and Earth. Raw. Impulsive. Uncontrollable."

"A woman," Henri laughed softly. "The Phoenix was untethered, free. Lonely. It had no equal companion."

"Its legend was heard all around the solar system, it visited many planets. One day, it found its rival. There was a woman, scarred by the man she loved. The Phoenix promised her everything. Companionship. The ability to stop feeling."

"They were weakened by their isolation. It gave her strength."

"So what happened?" I asked.

"They tethered themselves. Binded together. It bound with her soul."

"Ambrosia," Sam whispered. We all looked at him. "My Dad used to tell me her story. No physical being was able to contain it, but the wrong movement, a snap decision and it would split her soul. So she went mad. The Phoenix was tainted, imprinted with rage. She didn't stop, she slaughtered all of them, anyone who crossed her path."

"Evil woman…" Ella whispered. Daurin shook his head.

"When the Phoenix finally tore itself away from her she saw all that she'd done and cursed it untamed. It was to never find a compatible host, any tried ended up dying."

I could feel my frustration growing, my toes began to hum with annoyance.

"This isn't making any sense." I said annoyedly. Daurin gave me a wary look.

"When it came to Lorien, the Guard were faced with her wrath. It was an incredible struggle, nearly all were dead by the time Six was brave enough to make her decision. She bound to herself, imprinted it into her blood."

"I thought no host could survive."

"She didn't. after she died, the Phoenix bound itself in her blood, a physical tie instead of an emotional." I shook my head furiously. "It runs in your blood, Sophia."

We all sat in a stunned silence. I could feel 16 eyes on me as I tried to figure out a way to argue against their theory.

"I don't remember any of this. Any of you. Of Lorien." I shot.

"You don't remember anything before you were 7," Henri countered. "None of you remember Lorien on the day it fell. We'd hoped it'd make it easier."

"My parents."

"Hospital switch." My breath left me. It wasn't real. None of it. My entire life had been a cover story.

"No," I argued weakly. "You all would've known."

"I had suspicions. But the Phoenix itself had combatted your Legacies. None of them showed, even the Mogadorians had discarded your trail."

"It feels at home with you," Maria sympathized. "Until Emmett and the others came about, there was nothing to trigger it. No need to stir."

"I don't even have a Cepan."

"You aunt Amilee that looked nothing like anyone in your family? She died when you were 10, no?"

"It wasn't a car accident, then." I breathed, sinking to the floor. I suddenly felt the weight of everything being said.

"Sophia?" Emmett asked softly. I didn't answer. I couldn't talk. I couldn't breathe.

"I need some air." I hissed. I flew out of the room.

I walked briskly through the trees, losing my way in the forest. I could hear Eight's quiet footsteps behind me. I settled on a tree stump, tears streaming down my face as Eight wrapped her arm around me. I cried harder than ever, wondering how I could feel so comfortable with a stranger, and how I couldn't when this stranger was practically family, and my home family was a lie.

"We love you," she said softly. "We don't know how this stupid Phoenix thing works, but it's part of you so we love it too-no matter what. Just like you told Nine, we're a family."

I looked up at her, grateful that it was she who followed me.

"Thank you. I swear I'd lose it without you he-" we both turned our heads towards a snap in the dark. We stood.

"Sophia…" I grabbed Eight's hand and started running in the other direction. She pulled me to a halt as 4 Mogadorians emerged from the shadows. 3, coming from the direction we came. In a minute and a half, we'd been surrounded with nowhere to run.

"Ahh, fuck," I muttered. "Eight, go." She was invisible in seconds.

I dodged a few Blazes, sending a current through the ground. Eight was fending off 2 Mogadorians to my right, and I was being advanced on. The first Mogadorian swung. I ducked under his arm, digging my elbow into his spine and came around again to snap his neck. The 2nd caught me in the jaw. I scrambled off the forest floor; I was still too slow. The Mog had me by the head in seconds.

I kicked my feet, finding nothing but air. I wrapped my hands around his arm and fire exploded from my fingertips. The Mogadorian drop kicked me 10 feet into the trees. I spat blood onto the bark. Eight crashed into my side seconds later.

"We have to get out of here," she cried. "We have to-" A Mogadorian picked me up by the elbows, two others grabbing Eight. I had no chance to argue or fight, I had no chance to blink. The Mogadorian's fist connected with Eight's jaw so hard she fell to the ground in a pool of her own blood.

"Stop!" I screamed. He dragged a blade against her thigh, her skin sizzling as though the blade were made of fire.

My fingers began to hum. Something stirred in my chest. _Remember me._ A voice whispered. _Remember who we are._ A current exploded from my fingertips. The two Mogadorians exploded into ash. I could feel it, like a burning wildflower in my heart, I felt stronger than ever. My current found each and every living thing, crushing it from the inside out. Trees began to catch fire, in seconds we were surrounded by flames. I could feel whatever it was, dying to explode out of my body like a caged animal being set free. There was not enough room, it raged inside and I sank to my knees as one of my ribs snapped out of place.

Tears slid down my cheeks as I realized I couldn't stop, I _wouldn't_ because of how good it felt. I clenched my teeth through sobs and laughter, my own flames beginning to attack me, hissing and snapping, a line of blood traced along my left cheek.

It wasn't just killing them. It found them. My current and flames searched for them, branching away like a tree. They surged up their bodies, ripped them apart from the inside. I could feel their hearts stopping right before I ripped them out, I could hear their choked out screams, their feet as they tried to run. It felt like acid was soaking my muscles, sand paper in my veins. As soon as I acknowledged it my body wished I'd never been born, prayed that it would end, that it would kill me now so it could all be over.

But it didn't take long for me to forget. To instead be engrossed with how _alive_ I felt, how new and strong I was inside of my dying broken body. My clothes began to burn away. The flames struck against the newly exposed skin-leaving trails of blood and soot. I was going to die here.

*Emmett*

They'd only been gone for 20 minutes. Henri had told us all atleast 400 times that they were fine, probably on their way home right now, but it didn't feel that way, and I couldn't shake it off.

"You feel it too, don't you?" Nine murmured. I gave him a quick nod. "We shouldn't have let them go by themselves. I should've followed her."

"Why you?" I demanded. Nine narrowed his eyes at me.

"To protect her."

"Protect her? You nearly took her head off the other day!" I exploded. We both shot out of our seats, face to face.

"There's no one alive that could protect her like I can," he barked. "Idiot."

"This IDIOT is about to shove his fist down your throa-"

"Now, now, let's all breathe before you break something." Maria muttered, walking across the room.

We all smelled the smoke the second she opened the window. Nine looked at me because he knew, like I knew, and everyone else knew.

"Sophia."

It'd never been harder for me to follow her scent. Vanilla and cinnamon wafted through the smell of the sulfur and burning forest. Nine and I had broken into a dead sprint, vying to be the first to get there. Why did he feel the need to be there first? Why did he have to get so close to her anyway? I found her, she was MY Fall, he had no reason to be her best fucking friend.

We were close enough to see the flames. They were massive, raging. They swirled and hissed, swallowing more and more of the trees as they breathed.

"Holy shit." Henri muttered." I ran harder.

"I see them!" Sam yelled. We followed his lead before breaking through the trees. Nine phased through the flames. There was no way for us to get in.

"Sophia!" Nine yelled over the noise. I heard her quiet cries and sniffing, then the occasional laughter. The wall of fire died down and we were able to see them. I could feel the dread wash over us. Sam ran to Eight, who mumbled aimlessly on the ground, unable to even stand by herself. Nine stood about 10 feet from Sophia. I felt my heart sink as I took in her appearance. Soot and sweat covered her entire body, her jeans were practically shorts now, her shit had shredded, her jacket non-existing. Tears streaked her face. Bruises were already forming all over her skin.

In a flash, her expression changed. She looked like a robot, some possessed human, she smirked and the flames started to grow again. I could see Nine brace himself, but before anything could happen Sophia's face shifted again. She looked strained, like she was trying to keep composure. She exhaled, and seemed human again. Pain and desperation washed over her face and the tears started flowing again.

"Help me!" she sobbed, dropping to the ground. We stared at the unconscious girl as she sank, the flames dying raging around her as she slipped further and further away from herself, "5'6", 125 pounds and she alone had burned down half the forest. Nine scooped her up quickly, wincing as she burned his bare skin.


	20. Hormones And Goodbyes

My entire body ached. I'd been staring at my ceiling for 20 minutes as if that was gonna give me the answer to my problems. They'd taken turns outside my door last night in case I woke up and tried to slaughter the entire town. They whispered, about what they'd do or say.

I slid out of bed and stood in front of the mirror. Rough was a nice way to put it. The fact that they'd used the healing stone on me already only meant it had to be even worse than this before when they'd brought me home. I looked dead. If I'd laid on the floor right then, I could've passed for a corpse. I splashed water on my face and headed downstairs. Nine was waiting outside the door for me.

"Come on," he said softly, grabbing my hand. "Time to face the music."

They were waiting for me downstairs. Emmett shot out of his chair but didn't move from his place. I braced myself for a barrage of 'we told you so' s. Henri nearly toppled me over for a hug.

"Oh God, we're glad you're okay." He murmured. He held me at arm's length. "I'm sorry we didn't get there sooner."

"You guys aren't mad at me?" I breathed.

"Sophia you saved our lives out there!" Eight exclaimed.

"I burned down half the forest." I mumbled, staring out the window at the miles of marred trees.

"You were breathtaking." Eight reassured me as Sam wrapped his arm around her. I raised an eyebrow at the pair of them, and they blushed in sync.

"How do you feel?" I asked.

"It was amazing," Sam piped up. "She was totally healed by the hour."

"Can't say the same for you." Maria said apologetically. I looked down at my rather abused body.

"Takes more than a little fire to slow our girl down." Emmett said softly, repeating his words from Sam's party.

"We can train you just like the others. Your Phoenix can be in your control." Henri said quietly.

"Then what's wrong?" I stared at everyone's worried faces.

"They know where Sam's dad is." Nine said softly. I looked to Sam, who nodded curtly.

"Okay, that's great. Let's go get him."

"That's the thing. We want you to stay here." Emmett murmured. He hadn't taken his eyes off my hand, which was wrapped in Nine's.

"No way." I said firmly"

"Sophia, it's da-"

"I don't care how dangerous it is. I'm not letting you walk right into Mog territory alone."

"So this is a pride thing?"

"This has NOTHING to do with pride! This is about Sam's dad! You'll need all the help you can get!"

"You're not even trained yet, Soph! You burned down 3 miles worth of trees last night on ACCIDENT."

"And if I hadn't we'd be dad by now!" I yelled. It was silent, all eyes on Emmett and I. "Look, I didn't sign up for this. None of us did. But we're here anyway, and now that we are, we're going to stick together, safe or not. All in favor of me going?"

Eight beamed at me, her hand shooting up first. She elbowed Sam and his hand followed second. Henri, then Daurin and Maria. Then Ella. I looked at Nine who sighed.

"Fine, whatever. As long as you stay close." He grumbled.

"Majority rules." I said, gently triumphant. Emmett stormed out of the room.

I followed, freeing my hand from Nine's. Emmett trudged into the back yard. Ahead of us, the reflection of my burnt trees sparkled in the lake. I stood next to him, inhaling.

"If I stayed, you would have too."

"Why's that?" Emmett muttered.

"Because."

"Because why?"

"You know why."

"No I don't." he said, turning to face me.

"Emmett, you know why I-"

"No I don't, tell me." I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Because I worry about you. There, I worry. I worry about you all the time."

"And you think I don't?"

"I don't ask you to!"

"I don't k YOU to!"

"Then why do you need me to say it?"

"BECAUSE I WANT YOU TO REMEMBER HOW YOU FELT BEFORE NINE WAS HERE!" he shouted, grabbing my face in his hands. He got closer, and I let him-wanting to feel it again, wanting to remember because if he hadn't reminded now I might have wanted to forget.

His lips hit mine and I most definitely remembered. I remembered him running through a burning house to save me, almost blowing up Sam's laptop, his fiery butterfly kisses. I remembered that it was HIM who had found me and Sam. Emmett pulled me in for a few more before Sam called us to the house. He gave me a look as Emmett brushed passed him.

"Say nothing." I blushed. Nine tossed me my bags before I could even walk into the house. He smiled at me.

"Time to load up the truck!" He hadn't seen. A guilt filled rush of relief came over me. I shouldn't be so happy about it When we had our bags in the car, we said our goodbye's.

"Where are your things?" I asked Daurin. He shook his head and slid one arm around Maria's waist.

"I'm not going." He said softly.

I smiled at him.

"And you?"

"I'm not old enough. They won't let me." Ella frowned. I gave her a hug.

"It's alright. One day you'll be one of the greatest leaders we've ever had."

Nine got into the Mercedes with Eight and Henri. I know Sam wanted to ride with her, but he didn't complain. Emmett slid into the driver's seat of the truck.

"Wait, wait!" Ella called as I opened my door. She ran to me, a grey pendant in her hands.

"You'll save us." She said softly. As she placed the chain around my neck, the orb sprang to life, bursts of orange and red pulsing in the gem. "You're also my favorite." She whispered as I bent down to give her another hug. I watched her for a moment as she ran to Maria and Daurin. They looked like a family. They looked like what we were fighting for. Emmett grabbed my hand and pulled me into the passenger seat.

As we pulled away, I soaked in everything I could-every ounce of peace and safety, knowing it wouldn't last forever. Wherever we were heading, it was towards another battle. I took another deep breath as Emmett took my hand-and soon Maria, Daurin, and Ella faded into a the rearview mirror, the trees becoming a blur.


End file.
